After The Boiling Rock
by flavumetrubrum
Summary: My version of what happens after Zuko and Sokka break Hakoda and Suki out of the Boiling Rock. The gang returns to the Fire Nation to rescue Mai.
1. Friends

This is my first ever Avatar story! This idea popped into my head after watching "The Boiling Rock" parts one and two, and I had to write it. This will probably be really confusing if you haven't watched the episodes, but I hope it's not too bad. Thanks for taking the time to read! (To my TMNT readers, I promise I'll update my stories soon. I'm working on all the chapters, but this story just wouldn't leave me alone. I had to write it if I was going to be able to concentrate on the turtles. So bear with me, and I promise to do my best to update soon.)

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Zuko lay on his mat in the Western Air Temple, listening to Sokka excitedly describing their adventures in The Boiling Rock. Surprisingly, he wasn't exaggerating the details or trying to make himself sound super cool; on the contrary, he was belittling his own contributions to their escape and making everyone else's sound more glorious.

Zuko chuckled to himself; of all the members of the Avatar's group, Sokka had been the one he had been the most wrong about. The other boy had always come across as slow and arrogant. But the more time Zuko spent with the gang, the more he realized how brilliant and selfless he truly was. Yes, he had his annoying points, but Zuko had come to really respect the water tribe warrior.

And while they were working together at The Boiling Rock, trying to escape the Fire Nation, it had almost seemed as if they could be… friends. Zuko turned the word over and over in his mind, trying to grasp its meaning. Had he ever really had a friend before? Or _been _a friend? He thought of his uncle. His throat clenched and he quickly pushed him from his mind. No, that didn't count. Zuko had returned his uncle's kindness with sarcasm and resentment. There was Mai, but that was different. She was his girlfriend, and now she hated him. And rightfully so, too…. No, he had never truly had a friend. He didn't know where to begin….

Zuko let his thoughts turn back to Mai. She had saved him and the others trying to escape the prison, but the look in her eyes clearly communicated that she had no idea why she was doing so. And she had been arrested by Azula herself and dragged away to be… well, Zuko didn't really want to think about what they had done to her.

He sighed in frustration and flipped over onto his stomach, kicking his blanket off in the process. He heard Sokka and Katara say good night to their father and head into the large open area the gang used as a community bedroom. Katara lay down carefully on her bedroll, pulling her blanket over her shoulders and quickly falling asleep. Sokka flopped down on his mat in apparent exhaustion and closed his eyes. His breathing evened out and Zuko assumed he was asleep.

"What's bothering you?" the younger boy asked suddenly. The blunt question caught Zuko off-guard and the fire nation prince just sat up and stared at his companion. Sokka's eyes opened. "You should be asleep by now. Something's keeping you up." This time it wasn't a question.

Zuko shook his head. That was another thing he hadn't expected from Sokka. The warrior was very adept at reading others' moods and emotions. At times, he could even be sensitive. But only sometimes…. "It's nothing. I'm just… too tired to sleep."

Now Sokka was sitting up and staring at him intently. "Dude, I know 'too tired to sleep,' and although we had a long couple of days, you shouldn't be 'too tired to sleep.'" He paused long enough to sigh. "This is about Mai, isn't it?" Zuko jumped. He certainly hadn't expected Sokka to be _this _perceptive.

Without thinking, he answered, "Yes." Surprised at how open he was being with someone who had been his sworn enemy less than a month ago, he continued. "I turned my back on her and abandoned her with only a note saying 'I'm sorry.' I broke her heart, and she saved me. She sacrificed herself to make sure I could escape." He slammed his fist into the ground and growled. A low snore from somewhere in the darkness caused him to lower his voice. "I just feel so bad. It's my fault she was arrested."

"I know how you feel, Zuko. I went through the same thing with my dad. But she made the choice to save you, even if it meant she would be arrested."

"I seem to remember using that same argument on you and it not working too well."

"Yeah, well. I thought I'd give it a try anyway."

"I just- It just feels like our job is incomplete. Like… like we failed somehow. Like we should have done more." Zuko flopped back onto his matt and stared at the rock above. "Like I should have saved her," he whispered.

"We could go find her. They probably won't keep her in The Boiling Rock. We just go back to the Fire Nation, find out where they're keeping her, and finish our job." Zuko was struck speechless. Was Sokka actually offering to help him find Mai? "Listen—you helped me when I needed to find my dad. So now I'm returning the favor. It's what friends do." By the time Zuko recovered, Sokka was already snoring softly from his bedroll.

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Thanks again for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this story. I couldn't seem to write the second chapter—they always seem to be the hardest for me. But I just watched the show finale (wipes away a tear) and I have finally found some inspiration. Obviously, as this was planned out before I saw the last few episodes, this will not follow the show. After "The Boiling Rock" 1 and 2, that is.

Thanks so much to WriterRen, Redwritingbarron, Rue Broadway, Manuel, nutshak, Firebender01, firedragon315, nikipinz, BrokenForEternity, and Lilia for you reviews! I really appreciate them. I do not own the Avatar or other related characters. Thanks for reading!

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Sokka awoke to the sounds of Zuko and Aang practicing firebending—a sound that had become quite familiar in the time since the young prince had joined the gang. This morning, the firebending teacher looked none-too-happy about the early wake-up-call. His scarred face was set in an even deeper scowl than usual, and his half-closed eyelids betrayed the fact that he had stayed up most of the night.

Sokka sighed and looked at the ground, knowing what Zuko was going through. He had only recently had to deal with the same feelings of guilt and anger… and he had flown all the way to the fire nation to deal with them. He had every reason to expect Zuko to do the same; and not only that, but Sokka had promised to go with him. And he owed it to him—the older boy had helped him in his quest, and if it hadn't been for his presence Sokka never would have been able to escape the prison with his father, Suki, and Chit Sang.

Sokka stood to his feet and walked lazily toward where his two friends were practicing. He lounged on a bench that overlooked both the practice area and the canyon beyond the temple. The two other boys moved through firebending steps gracefully, occasionally sending jets of flame into the air.

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Long after Zuko and Aang had finished practice and left for breakfast, Sokka stayed to stare out at the horizon. He reveled in the feeling of freedom, enjoying the rare moments between fights and confrontation where it seemed he didn't have to worry about anything. For this fleeting time, everyone he cared about was safe. No one he loved was in any immediate danger. And he was about to risk all 

that to help Zuko; the man who had chased them all over the world and tried to kill them on many different occasions. But the strange thing was; that didn't make a difference. Zuko was his friend, former enemy or not, and Sokka had made a promise.

"You missed breakfast." Sokka was so lost in thought that he didn't hear Katara walk up to him, or smell the steaming bowl of stew she held in her hands. "I thought you might be hungry." Sokka mumbled a thank you as he took the bowl. "Sokka, I…. I never really got a chance to thank you for what you did." At his confused look, Katara continued. "You… you brought Dad back. And while I still haven't forgiven you for leaving without saying anything and risking your life like that… thank you." Sokka smiled uneasily.

"Yeah, well…. I wanted him back as much as you did. And you're welcome." Katara returned the smile and threw her arms around her brother's neck.

"Just don't ever do anything that stupid again!" Sokka cleared his throat and pulled away, staring at the floor.

"What?" Katara asked, her voice nervous.

"Um, about that. Zuko and I…."

"Oh no, you don't. You two almost got yourselves killed last time there was a 'Zuko and I.'" Katara had backed away now, placing her hands on her hips and standing with her feet shoulder width apart—a pose that had made everyone in the group cower in fear at one point or another. But today Sokka wasn't going to be intimidated. He had made a commitment to his friend and he intended to follow it through.

"We've made up our minds, Katara. We didn't finish the mission last time; we left two people behind. We have to go back for them."

"Those 'two people' are our enemies. They may not like Azula any more but that doesn't mean they do like us. You said yourself Mai looked like she wanted to kill Zuko. What makes you two think they'll be on our side now," Katara asked, a disbelieving tone entering her voice. As much as Sokka hated fighting with his sister he knew he couldn't back down now.

"If they want to come back with us and be on our side, then great. If not, we still get them out of prison and let them go on their way. Either way they won't be bothering us anymore and they won't be wasting away in some prison. Besides, whether or not Mai hates him Zuko loves her. And that's enough reason for me to help him."

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Zuko listened in disbelief as Sokka stood up to his sister, refusing to listen to her arguments. "Zuko loves her. And that's enough reason for me to help him." His last statement left Zuko reeling. He had known Sokka would keep his promise, but he had no idea his loyalty was that deep. The young prince felt an unfamiliar tightening in his chest as he thought about it.

There was a moment of silence before Katara recovered and replied, "Well if you two are going then so am I."

"Katara…."

"Don't 'Katara' me. You two can't go off by yourselves whenever you feel like it and leave us behind." Panic was starting to well up within Zuko now. What did she mean by "us?"

"What do you mean 'us?'" Sokka voiced his question.

"I mean, we're _all_ going."

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I'm so sorry I haven't updated this story. I still have big plans for it and I promise to update it whenever I can. Thank you so much for reading!


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